Strawberry Daifuku

Okay, so i take back what i said in my last post... here's the second strawberry recipe of the season: Strawberry Daifuku! I was on youtube the other day and came across a video for this beautiful mochi dessert and i just couldn't resist. This recipe is pretty easy to make although i did have some problems with the mochi. I'm guessing my glutinous rice flour wasn't the same as the one used in the video because instead of getting a watery mixture, mine just clumped up into a ball of dough. Hmmm... i steamed it anyway and i guess the mochi turned out... alright. It wasn't as elastic as i hoped it would be... but ah well, nothing's perfect XD. The mochi was also pretty hard to handle; i had to dust 2 layers of potato starch on my hands for every daifuku i made, sheesh. So in summary, the red bean paste could've been a bit more moist and the mochi could've been a bit more chewy... but other than that, this is a great dessert that i highly recommend for my fellow bakers. Enjoy!

Strawberry Daifuku
from cookingwithdog and geekchef
INGREDIENTS:

• AZUKI BEAN PASTE:
• 400g azuki beans, soaked overnight
  
• 3/4 cups of sugar (or more, according to taste)
  
• 1 tablespoon honey (or more, according to taste)
  
• 1 pinch salt
  
  
• STRAWBERRY DAIFUKU:
• 9 fresh strawberries (cut off the stems, wash, and pat dry)
• azuki bean paste
• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or more, according to taste)
• 1 cup water
• Potato starch for dusting
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash and drain the azuki beans that were soaked overnight [picture 1].
2. Place the beans into a pot and pour enough water to cover the beans. Steam the beans for an hour or more until soft [picture 2]. Most of the water should be absorbed by the time the beans are done (drain the beans if there's still a lot of water left).
3. Add in sugar, honey, and salt [picture 3]. Mix well.
4. Transfer the beans into a food processor[picture 4]. Blend to the consistency of your choice (chunky/mashed).
   
5. Scoop out the mashed beans into a saucepan and set it over low heat. Stir frequently in order to evaporate the excess water [picture 5]. [This step may be excluded if your beans have already reached the right consistency].
   
6. Once the azuki bean paste have cooled, take about 1 - 2 tablespoons of paste and shape them into balls. Flatten the paste with your palm, place the strawberry in the center, and push the paste up towards the top. Make sure to cover all sides of the strawberry [picture 6]. Repeat for all 9 strawberries. Cover with a plastic wrap to keep them moist.
   
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7. In a non-stick pot, mix together the sugar and glutinous rice flour [picture 7].
8. Gradually add in the water and mix until there are no lumps [mine formed into a ball of dough] [picture 8].
   
9. Place the non-stick pot into a steamer and steam for 15 minutes.
10. Remove the pot from the steamer and with a spatula, stir the mochi until even [picture 9].
    
11. Transfer the mochi onto a baking sheet that has been generously dusted with potato starch. Take some more potato starch and dust over the mochi. Break the mochi into 9 pieces.
12. With your hands, shape the mochi into a flat circle. Place the azuki-coated strawberries in the center and spread the mochi up and wrap it [picture 10]. Remember to dust your hands with potato starch frequently since mochi is extremely sticky.
    
13. You'll have to work quickly while the mochi is hot or else it will not stretch far enough to wrap the strawberries.
    

Strawberry Daifuku